£15m funding earmarked for flagship cultural projects in Scotland

BRIAN FERGUSON

NEW landmark works of art, overhauls for theatres and a restoration of Scotland’s longest-running cinema are to benefit from a £15 million windfall for flagship cultural projects.

A bid to turn the unofficial birthplace of Peter Pan in Dumfries into a new children’s literary centre, a new monument dedicated to William Wallace and his counterpart Andrew de Moray at Stirling Bridge, and the giant “Star of Caledonia” sculpture planned for the Scottish border are among the key projects pledged funding.

Campbeltown Picture House, which is almost 100 years old, and Ayr’s famous Gaiety Theatre, which was only recently rescued from closure, will both benefit from major restorations.

Creative Scotland have given 16 projects the green light, with others including a major new sculpture celebrating the mining heritage of Kelty, in Fife, a major expansion for Perth Theatre, a new riverside trail of public artworks by the banks of the Ness, in Inverness, and a new base for the Edinburgh Printmakers group.

Moat Brae, in Dumfries, where JM Barrie was said to have been inspired to write Peter Pan, has been pledged £687,500 for a £4.5 million project.

The £3 million Star of Caledonia, earmarked for Gretna, has been promised £1 million while the new Wallace monument is to get £188,500.

The Royal Scottish National Orchestra has been awarded a further £1.25 million to help with a relocation to the Royal Concert Hall, in Glasgow.

The Film City Complex in Govan has been given £1 million to help expand its facilities, while the Arches has been awarded £200,000 for new theatre and rehearsal facilities.

Andrew Dixon, Creative Scotland’s chief executive, said: “Great cultural facilities in every part of Scotland allow many more people to experience, enjoy and learn about a range of creative work.”

Dame Barbara Kelly, chair of the Peter Pan Moat Brae Trust, said: “This news comes at a very crucial stage of our development. It means we can now really start to tease out the detail of how we will achieve our vision of creating a national centre for children’s literature and start to research the wide range of literary and cultural activities we plan to promote.

FUNDING LIST IN FULL

Guardians of Scotland, Stirling Bridge: a work of public art to commemorate William Wallace and his counterpart Andrew de Moray. (Development award £15,500; provisional Stage 2 award £173,000)

The Makers Village, Alloa: conversion of buildings in the town for use as workshops, gallery and performance space by Art ‘n’ Mind. (Development award £42,800; provisional Stage 2 award £360,000)

Star of Caledonia, Gretna: development and delivery of Star of Caledonia, as a border landmark in Dumfries and Galloway. (Development award £49,000; provisional Stage 2 award £1,000,000)

Ness River public art programme, Inverness: Highland Council and Inverness Old Town Arts will develop proposals, in consultation with local people, for new public art as part of the Ness River Flood Alleviation. (Development award £46,000; provisional Stage 2 award £259,000)

Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Glasgow: development of the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall to support the relocation of the orchestra there. (Provisional Stage 2 Award £1.25 million)

Edinburgh Printmakers: development of new premises for Contemporary Art in Print, to support the development of artistic programmes of work locally, nationally and internationally. (Development award £60,000; provisional Stage 2 award £1,725,076)

Moat Brae, Dumfries: the restoration and development of Moat Brae house and gardens as Scotland’s first centre for children’s literature. (Development award £45,000; provisional Stage 2 award £687,500)

Film City Glasgow: To further develop the feasibility, technical specification and future business model for an expansion of current screen industry facilities in the city, to explore a production facilities village and international-standard studio sound stage. (Development: £75,000; provisional future investment £1 million)